I read this book last summer and absolutely loved it! YA is not typically my thing, but the story sucked me in. I liked how the characters were forced together and then developed. Funny and enjoyable read! ( )

This was very clever and entertaining as an audiobook. It reminded me a bit of Normal People but where that was gloomy, this was cheerful. The writing was great, the idea was fresh. "Smut" is not a word I've used, but is it a synonym for "erotica"? which I do use. As a typical romance novel in its plot - two people who engage in hate to like and beyond - this is really mainstreaming and normalising erotica / smut in a good way. I'm looking forward to reading more Karina Halle.

[To save time, I'm putting this piece from the description in my comments so I remember this unforgettable and vivid novel:
All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad's ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career. What Blake and Amanda don't want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that's exactly what they both get when they're forced to collaborate on a writing piece.]

Another novel I've read about male and female writers teaming up to write romance is The Open Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka.

The Rough Draft isn't nearly so humorous, but is a lot of fun to see these characters tear each other up! ( )

A little outrageous humor, some enemies to lovers, some great sexy times. Overall an enjoyable read. ( )

3. Stars

This is a hard one for me. I love this author. However, I really struggled with this one. There were some moments that I really liked, such as the how hard writing was for some authors. It was connecting with the characters that I struggled with though. At times it felt rushed and others felt childish especially when I think about some of her other characters that I have loved.

While this isn't my favorite book, I still appreciate the author and her hard work. ( )

This was really good and the only think keeping it from 5 stars was that I felt like it was slow at the beginning and didn't like Amanda at first. Once you get about 30% through, the smut hits and it is well written. From there I thought the plot moved well and I liked Amanda with Blake. There was only a small amount of drama, but that's okay since I liked the romance a lot. I highly recommend listening to the audio, because the British narrator for Blake does a fantastic job (and the woman is great too.) ( )